This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. To order presentation-ready copies of Toronto Star content for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about permissions/licensing, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com

Despite road travel being safer than ever, Transport Canada is not developing safety standards quickly enough to respond to emerging risks, a new report warns.

The auditor general's report flagged concerns with Transport Canada on a number of fronts, including inadequate research to back changes; incomplete collision database; and no long-term strategy or funding for motor vehicle safety. (ANGELO MERENDINO / AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

OTTAWA—Transport Canada’s slow-footed response to vehicle safety is putting the lives of Canadians at risk, a new report warns.

In a world of fast-moving technology, federal regulators are getting left at roadside, hampered by poor planning, budget cuts and a reactive approach, according to a damning audit of Transport Canada’s oversight of the safety of passenger vehicles.

While travel by road is safer than ever — fatalities and injuries in 2014 were at their lowest level since tracking began in the early 1970s — Transport Canada could be doing a much better job in ensuring the safety of passenger vehicles, the federal auditor general’s report says.

“Technology is evolving faster than the regulations and standards designed to protect Canadians,” says the report, released Tuesday.

“Transport Canada did not develop motor vehicle safety standards to respond to emerging risks and issues in a timely manner,” it says.

Article Continued Below

The audit flags concerns on a number of fronts, including inadequate research to back changes; incomplete collision database; and no long-term strategy or funding for motor vehicle safety.

For example, Transport Canada has jumped on the U.S. move to make back-up cameras mandatory, even though it has limited data to show there are any safety benefits, the report found.

But the report also flags federal foot-dragging, highlighting lengthy delays — sometimes as long as 10 years — from the time Transport Canada began work on an issue to when regulatory changes are finally introduced.

“Transport Canada did not maintain an up-to-date regulatory framework for passenger vehicle safety,” it said.

A five-year review of changes to the regulations found that Transport Canada waited too often for its American counterpart to introduce safety changes first before taking action here.

By taking their cue from the Americans, the audit suggests that regulators have been slow to implement changes that could improve the safety of Canadian vehicles, auditors concluded.

“This reactive approach created significant delays in implementing new standards, and meant that some passenger vehicles were not equipped with the newest safety features available in other countries.”

It noted that the department too often follows the lead of other countries when modifying Canadian standards instead of using its work to initiate changes. Not only does this cause delays but it also means that conditions unique to Canada — climate, more variable hours of daylight, road infrastructure — are given short shrift, the report says.

It cites the example of “innovative” headlights on European vehicles that dim so they do not affect the visibility of oncoming cars. But Transport Canada said such technology did not meet Canadian or American standards.

Yet the audit found that Transport Canada has been working on new standards for better nighttime lighting on vehicles for the last eight years and the work is still not finished.

Indeed, the audit uncovered other areas where new rules to boost vehicle safety have moved at a snail’s pace, taking between eight and 13 years to complete.

The auditors noted that in 2007, the U.S. implemented a standard for side-impact collisions. It has taken Transport Canada nine years to take steps to update Canadians standards. “At the time of our audit, this standard was still not updated,” the report says.

The report also faults Transport Canada for not doing more to consult with stakeholders such as consumer associations, the insurance industry, police and equipment suppliers prior to proposing regulatory changes.

As a result, the audit said that vehicle makers — who often were consulted — may have unduly influenced the process.

“Because Transport Canada did not engage these groups, it is our view that manufacturers may have exercised disproportionate influence on regulatory decision making and caused delays in updating the regulations.”

As a result, the report said the federal transport department did not act in an “accountable and transparent manner.”

The audit found that the motor vehicle safety branch had no long-term plan for its activities or stable funding for its research and regulatory work.

The audit questioned other budget decisions. Spending on crashworthiness testing was chopped by 59 per cent for the 2016-17 fiscal year yet the department spent $5.4 million on a crash barrier. “We questioned the rational for proceeding with the project,” the auditors said.

Funding was also cut on outreach activities with stakeholders, limiting input on “key safety issues.”

Responding to the findings on Tuesday, Transport Minister Marc Garneau said the department would seek to consult more with stakeholders on regulatory changes.

The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.

More from the Toronto Star & Partners

LOADING

Copyright owned or licensed by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or distribution of this content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. To order copies of Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com